Manufacturing of Sculpture in the Digital Age.

Abstract

The creation of three-dimensional artistic works has employed a wide range of manufacturing processes throughout its history. Aspects such as the specialization of functions or serial production, typical of industrial processes, have been present since antiquity in the crafting of simple everyday objects and also in the manufacturing of more complex and unique pieces, such as artistic sculptures. The material remains of serialized artifacts and the tools used in their production reveal extremely slow and laborious methods, even in processes aimed at mass production.

In the present day, parallels exist between the digital revolution and the automation of manufacturing sectors and the new possibilities for producing three-dimensional artworks. The tools provided by the digital environment for the conception, design, and virtual construction of artistic objects in three dimensions have been complemented for over a decade by the possibilities for their subsequent materialization through 3D printing or machining with sophisticated robots. Profound changes in this sector are contributing to renewing the traditional discussion about the role of the artist in highly technologized processes. In this chapter, we reflect on the current scenario posed by new three-dimensional manufacturing technologies and their consequences for the possibilities of dissemination, perception, and reception of sculptural manufacturing methods in the twenty-first century.